Why Marketplaces Are Building Their Own AI Assistants

Episode 29 of The Platform Economy dives into a fresh trend: marketplaces building their own in-house AI assistants. Lucas and Luna explore how platforms like Instacart, Shopify, and Uber are embedding conversational AI to replace search bars, boost conversion, and lock in sellers. They dissect the economics: Instacart's AI increased basket size by 7 percent, while Shopify's Sidekick handles 40 percent of merchant inquiries without human escalation. The hosts also discuss the risks—privacy, bias, and the tension between personalization and manipulation. A concrete look at why every marketplace is racing to build its own 'GPT wrapper' and what that means for network effects. #MarketplaceAI #Instacart #Shopify #Uber #ConversationalCommerce #AIAssistants #PlatformEconomy #NetworkEffects #BusinessAndTechnology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #EcommerceAI #SearchReplacement #MerchantTools #AIPersonalization #MultiSidedPlatforms #DigitalMarketplaces #AITrends Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo